Royal ties leave Pippa Middleton little to Celebrate

SPARE a thought for Pippa Middleton. It seems being the sister of the future queen is not always all it is cracked up to be. Even though she is about to publish her first book, Celebrate, next week, the other Miss Middleton could be forgiven for not being in party mood.

Copies of her glossy hardback will hit bookshops on Thursday but Pippa finds herself between a rock and a hard place.

The 29-year-old is keen to capitalise on her new-found fame but has ended up in the paradoxical position of being unable to promote the book properly.

Her future career as the hostess with the mostess depends on Celebrate being a bestseller but it is understood she will not be doing a promotional tour or even any interviews for fear of compromising her royal in-laws. As one source put it: “The last thing the palace, or indeed Pippa, wants is for interviews about her book to be turned into an interrogation about William and Kate’s private lives.”

It seems a rather paranoid stance to take when Pippa has the might of Penguin’s PR department behind her. Having paid her a reported £400,000 to write the party manual, Penguin’s imprint Michael Joseph is understood to have secured serialisation rights here and in the US. However, staff in the public relations team are remaining tight-lipped on the finer details.

Entertaining on any scale can be stressful and daunting so this is all about finding ways to manage and enjoy the process

Pippa Middleton's book

“The serialisation rights to Celebrate have been sold. I can’t say anything beyond that I’m afraid,” says a spokeswoman. As to whether Pippa will be giving any interviews the response was that she will be “actively engaged with publicity for the book”. What that means exactly is anyone’s guess.

It is a curious position for Pippa to find herself in, not least because there have been no shortage of offers. In the US, where people are arguably crazier about the Royals than we are Britain, there is a huge market for both Middleton sisters.

Rival networks NBC and ABC have been falling over themselves trying to secure an interview with Pippa for their high-rating breakfast programmes, The Today Show and Good Morning America.

Despite boasting audiences in their multi-millions they are still not having much luck. A well-placed TV source says: “Everyone is going after Pippa but no one is having any joy. She is the interview that everyone wants but no one is able to get.”

There had even been talk of Pippa being offered six-figure sums to become a “special correspondent” for one of the big networks, called on to give her events expertise and cover annual occasions like Ascot and the Chelsea Flower Show.

Again, the kybosh has been put on the plans by palace concerns that this would leave her vulnerable to on-air questions about the Windsors that could put her on the spot. Perhaps it is little surprise then, that so far the only words from Pippa came in a carefully written press release sent to the world’s media in August which read: “This book is designed to be a comprehensive guide to home entertaining, based on my experience in my family’s party business, Party Pieces, and work for London-based events company, Table Talk.

“It is a useful and practical journey into British-themed occasions and I hope it offers welcome inspiration and ideas, most of which needn’t leave you alarmingly out of pocket. Entertaining on any scale can be stressful and daunting so this is all about finding ways to manage and enjoy the process.

“I hope you will see this as a feel-good book with ideas to look forward to each month, providing threads of lasting, happy memories, be it around a table lit with candles in winter, outside on a rug in summer or in the autumn, perched on a leaf-covered bench, hot drink in hand.”

The jacket features 16 photographs, three with Pippa in them: tying an outdoor lantern in one, simply smiling in another and finally helping a toddler stir what appears to be a cake mixture. The book is described as a “comprehensive seasonal guide to simple and creative entertaining” and the blurb declares it to be a “useful, practical and inspiring journey into British-themed occasions, focusing on tradition and ritual and the importance of bringing friends and family together”.

It includes recipes, crafts, games and tips on entertaining, taking the reader from Bonfire Night to New Year’s Eve, from children’s parties to barbecues. With an original cover price of £25, the book is on sale for £12.50 on Amazon.

WITH THE likes of Kirstie Allsopp’s Vintage Home guide, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage recipe book and even Nigella Lawson’s 2008 Christmas bible pipping Pippa to the post, she could do with all the publicity she can get because if the book is a best seller, Pippa has the potential to not only become a literary sensation but also a businesswoman.

If she were to follow in the footsteps of Nigella and Delia the possibilities are endless, from bringing out a whole series of books to endorsing a kitchenware range and even establishing her own events business. The only question that remains is whether she will be allowed to capitalise on any success she may have.

As one royal source put it: “Pippa has huge potential. It is just a question of how that potential can he harnessed without ruffling any royal feathers.”

Pippa is clearly more than a pretty face but only time will tell whether she is able to make the transition from rear of the year to domestic goddess for a new decade.